This invention relates to a method for separating a mixture of ferromagnetic material and non-ferromagnetic material and an apparatus for electromagnetically transporting the separated ferromagnetic material.
Prior art separators have included a revolving drum with a permanent magnet or an electromagnet adjacent the inner periphery of the drum. A mixture of ferromagnetic material and non-ferromagnetic material was then dropped upon the outer periphery of the drum where the non-ferromagnetic material would be deflected away from the drum, while the ferromagnetic material would be retained by the magnetic drum for subsequent discharge. However, such ferromagnetic separators have been generally inefficient, expensive and bulky.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a relatively efficient and inexpensive method for separating a mixture of ferromagnetic material and non-ferromagnetic material.
Another object of this invention is to provide an easy and dependable method for electromagnetically separating ferromagnetic material from non-ferromagnetic material.
A further object of this invention is to provide an open-ended tubular member carrying a plurality of sequentially-timed electromagnetic coils for separating ferromagnetic material from non-ferromagnetic material and for electromagnetically transporting the separated ferromagnetic material.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description and appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.